Air conditioning system utilizing refrigeration



July 11, 1939. s, M, ANDERSON 2,165,197

AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM UTILIZING REFRIGERATION Filed April 16, 1957 STEAM SOUBOE EL ECTRIC soulacE I s 34 so; 24

Inventor 6AMUL Anneam Patented July 11, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM UTILIZING REFRIGERATION ton, Mass.

Application April 16, 1931, Serial No. 137,249

4 Claims.

This invention relates to air conditioning systems for passenger vehicles and relates more particularly to spray type air conditioning systems utilizing refrigeration, for railway passenger cars:

According to this invention a spray type air conditioning system utilizing mechanical refrigeration is provided for a railway passenger car. Water is chilled by evaporator coils which are preferably mounted on the under side of the car and this water is pumped to an air washer preferably mounted above the passenger space.

According to a feature of this, invention, the water returned from the air washer is frequently changed by the removal of a portion which is passed in heat exchange relationship to the condenser of the refrigeration equipment, and by the replacement of the removed portion from a water make-up tank. Thus the spray water is maintained fresh; impurities are removed, and the refrigeration costs are reduced by the use of the chilled exhausted water for assisting in the condensing action.

According to another feature of this invention, when the wet bulb temperature of the outside air is below a predetermined point, the refrigeration apparatus is shut down, the recirculated air normally supplied to the air washer is discontinued, and the air washer cools the outside air by evaporative cooling.

According to another feature of this invention, the air washer includes coil pre-coolers through which chilled water is circulated and over which chilled water is sprayed, the coils thus acting to clean as well as cool the air.

An object of this invention is to efficiently cool and clean the air supplied to a-passenger vehicle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a spray type conditioning system for a passenger vehicle, normally supplied with chilled water from mechanical refrigeration equipment, and which is converted for evaporative cooling when the wet bulb temperature of the outside air is sufllciently low.

Another object of the invention is to provide for a passenger vehicle, a combined spray type and coil type air conditioner supplied with chilled water from mechanical refrigeration equipment.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken together 50 with the drawing.

The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing which illustrates diagrammatically one embodiment of an air conditioning system according to this invention.

The air conditioner 5 is located in one end and (Cl. 62-117) Y on the roof zone of a railway passenger car. It contains the spray nozzles 6 which spray water into and in a direction opposed to the movement of, the air entering the conditioner from the' blower I. The conditioner 5 also contains the 5 four rows of precooler tubes 8 and above the tubes 8 are arranged the spray nozzles 8 which spray water downwardly upon the tubes 8. By providing the tubes 8 in the conditioner, such additional surface is provided that the conditioner 10 5 may be smaller than were the sprays alone used, and by spraying water on the tubes 8 they are kept clean and also act to clean the entering air.

Water from the sump I0 is supplied by the pump ll, driven by the motor I2, through the pipes l3 and I4. A portion of the water supplied through pipe I3 is supplied through pipe l5 to the tubes and from these tubes is returned to the sump l0 throughpipe l6.

The water sprayed in the conditioner 5 is collected in the'trough l1 and returned through the pipes l8 to the sump l0.

The tank l9 supplies make-up water to the sump Ill. The water in the sump I0 is chilled 5 through being circulated by the pumps 28 driven by the motor 2|, through the evaporator 42 which it enters through the pipe 22 and leaves through pipe 23.

The compressor 24, driven by motor 25, compresses any suitable refrigerant which then passes through the condenser 26, the expansion valve 21 and evaporator coils 28.

Water from the sump I0 is drained out through the pipe 29 and is sprayed through the nozzles 30 upon the coils of the condenser 26. The amount of this water is regulated by the valve 3|. The valve 32 between the make-up tank I! and the .sump I0, is adjusted to admit to the sump ID from the make-up tank IS an amount of water equal to that drained from the sump and sprayed upon the condenser coils.

The water thus drained from the sump Ill gradually changes the water sprayed in the con ditioner 5 and not only maintains the spray water fresh but removes the impurities collected from the air by the water sprayed in the conditioner i. The water thus drained from the sump I0 is chilled water and its cold energy" is not wasted but effectively made use of for condensing the so refrigerant.

In some locations the wet bulb temperature of the outside air is at times below, say E. and when this occurs, evaporative cooling may be eflectively used. Accordingly, this invention uti-. 86

lizes evaporative cooling when-feasible, for effecting savings in refrigeration and corresponding savings in operating cost.

The wet bulb thermostat ll mountedin the outside air intake closes, when the wet bulb temperature oi the outside air is above 60 F., circuits energizing from the electric source 34, the compressor 25, the pump motor II and the damper motor II. This causes the damper motor 35 to operate toopen the damper 38 in the recirculated air inlet 31; the motor to operate the compressor 24, and the motor 2| to operate the pump 20 to supply chilled water from the evaporator 42 to the sump III. At this time the system operates in a reirlgerative cooling cycle with ice water supplied to the conditioner I which conditions both outside and recirculated air When the wet bulb temperature falls below 60 F., the thermostat automatically opens the energizing circuits of the damper motor 35, the pump motor II and the compressor motor 25. when this happens the recirculated air dampers are closed and the pump ll supplies water from the sump I 0 to the conditioner i, which water is recirculated between the sump Ill and the conditioner i to effect evaporative cooling of the outside air.

The dry bulb thermostat 38 mounted in the passenger space controls the temperature there by starting and stopping the pump motor I! to control the supply or water from-the sump In to 1 the conditioner i.

The steam heater 38 supplied with steam from the source 40 is mounted in the output side of the conditioner 5 to provide heating of the air when this is, desired.

The conditioner air from the conditioner 5 may be supplied into the passenger space of the car through any well known type of distributing duct or bulk head discharge arrangement or in any other suitable manner. v

While one embodiment of the invention has been described for the purpose of illustration, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact apparatus and arrangement described as many departures may be made by. those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An air conditioning system for a passenger vehicle comprising an air cooler, an evaporator for cooling water, refrigerating means including a condenser for supplying a refrigerant to said evaporator, means for supplying water chilled by said evaporator to said cooler, and means for spraying a portion or the water returned from said cooler upon said condenser and for then discharging it from said vehicle.

2. An air conditioning system for a passenger vehicle comprising an air cooler, an evaporator for cooling water, refrigerating means including a condenser for supplying a refrigerant to said evaporator, means for supplying water chilled by said evaporator to said cooler, means for spraying a portion of the water returned from said cooler upon said condenser and for then discharging it from said vehicle, a water make-up tank, and means for supplying water from said tank to said evaporator.

3. An air conditioning system for a passenger vehicle comprising an air cooler, a sump, an evaporator, means for circulating water through said su'mp and said evaporator, means for circulating water through said sump and said cooler, a condenser associated with said evapo-.

rator, and means for spraying water from said sump upon said condenser and for then discharging it from said vehicle.

4. An air conditioning system for a passenger vehicle comprising an air cooler, a sump, an evaporator, means for circulating water through said sump and said evaporator, means for circulating water through said sump and said cooler, Y

a condenser associated with said evaporator, means for spraying water from said sump upon said condenser and for then discharging it from said vehicle, a water make-up tank, and means for adding water from said tank to said sump.

- SAMUEL M. ANDERSON. 

